It won't be long before racing enthusiasts get the opportunity to see NASCAR drivers roll into town and wind through part of downtown Chicago.
While the first of more than two dozen street closures began on Monday in preparation of the NASCAR Chicago Street Race, the two-day event won't arrive until July. The one-of-a-kind racing spectacle will take place over the weekend of July 6 and 7.
According to NASCAR, the Xfinity Series race will commence at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, the 6th and the NASCAR Cup Series race will start at 3:30 p.m. Central on Sunday, the 7th.
Last year's inaugural event was hampered by heavy rains, which washed out the conclusion of the Xfinity Series race and caused the Cup Series race to be shortened due to darkness. Despite receiving nine inches of rain in a two-day span, the race was contested, with Shane Van Gisbergen winning his NASCAR debut on the streets of Chicago.
The spectacle was also NBC's most-watched race since the 2017 season finale at Homestead-Miami, with an average of 4.8 million viewers on linear TV, Peacock and other streaming platforms.
The race, which shut down large swaths of Grant Park and portions of several key roadways including Michigan Avenue and DuSable Lake Shore Drive, was a unique spectacle, one that the racing circuit had never seen, but Mayor Brandon Johnson had pledged to reevaluate the event due to disruptions to traffic and other factors.
In the days following last year's race, Johnson said the evaluation process was ongoing and an opt-out clause in the three-year contract remaining on the table. The process behind agreeing to the three-year contract, orchestrated by former Mayor Lori Lightfoot, was roundly blasted by activists, members of the Chicago City Council and some residents, who said the secretive dealings left the city with a bad contract that adversely impacted the community.
The city revealed in October the Chicago Street Race would return in July - but with shortened set-up and tear-down windows and reduced travel disruption for residents.
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Officials noted that while many streets will be closed, "all businesses and residences will remain accessible during course set up, race weekend and the break-down." There will also be adjustments to public transit routes due to the closures.
This year's build-out period six days shorter than the previous race, with only 19 days needed for set-up and tear-down time, compared to the 25 days in 2023.
Billed as two days of racing and non-stop entertainment, the long-anticipated event will feature not just the two races, but also a free NASCAR Village experience at Butler Field and performances from more than a dozen artists, including Keith Urban, the Chainsmokers and the Black Keys.
Single-day tickets start at $150, while general admission tickets - including trackside views plus concert and food hall access - begin at $269.
